Alabama's Near-Total Ban On Abortion Could Be Headed To Court As ACLU Gears Up For Fight

Almost immediately after news broke that the Alabama Senate had voted to approve a measure outlawing almost all abortions in the state, the American Civil Liberties Union announced its intention to sue over the legislation.

“We will not stand by while politicians endanger the lives of women and doctors for political gain,” Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, told CBS News in a statement.

“Know this, Governor [Kay] Ivey: If you sign this dangerous bill into law, we will see you in Court,” the attorney added, referring to Alabama’s Republican governor to whose desk the legislation is now headed.

Though Ivey has not revealed publicly whether or not she will sign the bill, she’s widely expected to.

BREAKING: Alabama's legislature just passed a law that criminalizes doctors and makes abortion illegal.

If signed into law, the Human Life Protection Act would make it a felony for doctors to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy except in cases where the pregnant woman’s life is at serious risk; exemptions are not included in the bill for cases of incest or rape.

“It is important that we pass this statewide abortion ban legislation and begin a long overdue effort to directly challenge Roe v. Wade,” Ainsworth said.

After the Alabama Senate approved the bill 25 to 6 on Tuesday night, a slew of activists and prominent Democrats, including 2020 presidential hopefuls, voiced their outrage.

“This is a war on women, and it is time to fight like hell,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) declared.

This ban is dangerous and exceptionally cruel—and the bill’s authors want to use it to overturn Roe v. Wade. I've lived in that America and let me tell you: We are not going back—not now, not ever. We will fight this. And we will win. https://t.co/WNlr7Ys73q

Women’s rights are under attack. This relentless and cruel Republican assault on women’s health is designed to force a court battle to destroy Roe v. Wade. Democrats will be ready to defend health care and women’s reproductive freedom.

The Alabama Senate just stripped women of health care rights by voting to make abortion procedures a felony. I will fight in solidarity with women to make sure rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade will not be threatened by those who have no business making laws about their bodies. https://t.co/hS1a2lNEc0